AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICA - "The rule of law almost non-existent, abuses are the norm", says a UN report

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - "We are extremely concerned about reports of killings, torture, arbitrary detention, violence against women, forced disappearances, acts of popular justice, as well as the general climate of insecurity and the absence of the rule of law established in the past 5 months", say the UN independent experts in a report on the situation in the Central African Republic.
Since March, since the rebel coalition Seleka ousted President François Bozizé, the Country lives in anarchy, although Michel Djotodia, one of the leaders of Seleka, has assumed the position of Head of State and a stabilization force formed by soldiers sent by neighboring states (Mission Internationale de Soutien à la Centrafrique, MISCA) has been deployed. But this is not enough to bring minimum order because as pointed out by the UN experts, "the rule of law is almost non-existent" to the point that "the abuse of power and impunity have become the norm".
The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Christof Heyns, said that there are 46 documented cases of extrajudicial killings, many of whom committed in retaliation against acts of "popular justice" against members of Seleka.
In addition to the deployment of MISCA, the Central African States have put pressure on the new President in order to form a government of national unity and a National Transitional Council (CNT, a sort of interim parliament), in order to provide the Country with institutions that leads Central Africa toward new elections. On August 6, the office of the CNT was dissolved in view of its reconstruction on an enlarged basis, so as to include representatives of all political forces. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 07/08/2013)


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